British stars Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper will both play qualifiers in their opening matches at this year’s US Open.
Draper will be looking to build on the success he enjoyed at Flushing Meadows last year. But he could meet defending champion Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals if both win through.
Raducanu could be on course for a third-round clash with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Brit Watch at the US Open
Jack Draper vs qualifier or lucky loser
Jacob Fearnley vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Cameron Norrie vs Sebastian Korda
Emma Raducanu vs qualifier
Katie Boulter vs Marta Kostyuk
Sonay Kartal vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
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Highlights of the mixed doubles semi-final between Jack Draper/Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek/Casper Ruud
Back at the top of the British rankings, Raducanu is playing probably some of her best tennis since her remarkable US Open triumph in 2021 – although that bar is lower after a turbulent few years due to injury.
Her informal coaching arrangement with Mark Petchey appeared to be working, with the 22-year-old enjoying a run to the semi-finals of the Washington Open, but she has now brought in Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francis Roig ahead of the Grand Slam in New York.
Spanish coach Roig worked alongside Nadal and with Nadal’s uncle Toni for the majority of his career, where he won 22 Grand Slam titles.
Emma Raducanu’s projected US Open draw
R1 – Qualifier
R2 – V. Kudermetova
R3 – Rybakina
R4 – Paolini/Kessler/Vondrousova
QF – Sabalenka/Tauson
SF – Pegula/Andreeva/Mboko/Bencic
F – Swiatek/Gauff/Keys/Anisimova
The other British women have been handed tough draws, with Katie Boulter taking on 27th seed Marta Kostyuk and Sonay Kartal meeting 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Draper warmed up for the singles tournament reaching the mixed doubles semi-finals, with him and Jessica Pegula beating Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz along the way.
SUNDAY at the US Open
ARTHUR ASHE 5pm BST
Shelton vs Q/LL
Sabalenka vs Masarova
Midnight
Djokovic vs Tien
Pegula vs Sherif
LOUIS ARMSTRONG 4pm BST
Raducanu vs Qualifier
Fritz vs Nava
Midnight
Paolini vs Qualifier
Medvedev vs Bonzi
World No 5 Draper is hoping to be a force this year. In 2024 he reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows before losing to eventual champion Sinner.
Ahead of the tournament he had to withdraw from events in Toronto and Cincinnati due to a forearm injury, but has now recovered ahead of this US Open return.
Jack Draper’s projected US Open draw
R1 – Qualifier
R2 – Bergs/Tseng
R3 – Diallo/Munar
R4 – Musetti/Goffin/Brooksby
QF – Sinner
SF – Zverev/De Minaur/Rublev/Khachanov/Rublev
F – Alcaraz/Djokovic/Fritz/Medvedev
Wimbledon quarter-finalist Cameron Norrie faces American Sebastian Korda while Jacob Fearnley will make his US Open debut against Roberto Bautista Agut, with the winner likely to meet third seed Alexander Zverev.
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Highlights of the US Open mixed doubles match between Jack Draper/Jessica Pegula and Emma Raducanu/Carlos Alcaraz
Djokovic to face teenager Tien
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Novak Djokovic is in the same half of the draw as Alcaraz. The Serb, the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, will face Learner Tien, a 19-year-old left-hander who upset Daniil Medvedev en route to the fourth round of this year’s Australian Open.
Alcaraz, the No 2 seed, will start against Reilly Opelka, a former top-20 player before injuries who is 6ft 11in with a powerful serve that he rode to the fourth round in New York in 2021.
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Sinner, who was on court practising on Thursday after retiring in tears with illness in Monday’s final in Cincinnati against Alcaraz, starts off with Vit Kopriva before facing either Alexei Popyrin or Emil Ruusuvuori if he wins, then will likely take on Denis Shapovalov, followed by Tommy Paul.
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Carlos Alcaraz hits a winner around the net in his mixed doubles match with Emma Raducanu against Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula
Tough opener for Venus
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Defending women’s champion Sabalenka plays Spain’s Rebeka Masarova in round one while second seed Iga Swiatek and third seed Coco Gauff are both in the bottom half.
Forty-five-year-old Venus Williams is returning to Flushing Meadows for her first Grand Slam singles appearance since the 2023 US Open. Having entered the tournament as a wild card, Williams will face No 11 seed Karolina Muchova in the first round.
No 3 seed Gauff, who won her first major title in the 2023 US Open, will first face Ajla Tomljanovic, the Australian who beat Williams’ younger sister Serena in her final match in 2022.
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Jones closing in on main draw
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Play in the main draws begins on Sunday, and Fran Jones is one victory away from making it seven British players across the men’s and women’s singles.
Jones is the top seed in qualifying after narrowly missing out on a place by right and she battled to a 6-1 7-6 (13-11) victory over Georgia’s Ekaterine Gorgodze in difficult windy conditions.
After easing through the opening set, Jones found herself 4-1 down in the second and then 6-2 down in the tie-break but she fought back both times, eventually clinching her fifth match point.
She will face Dutchwoman Arianne Hartono on Friday in the final round.
There was defeat for Jodie Burrage, though, while Jay Clarke and Oliver Crawford failed to progress in men’s qualifying.
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